Padres welcome back Hedges, Solarte

SAN DIEGO -- Two key pieces returned to the Padres' lineup on Sunday afternoon. Austin Hedges was back behind the plate after two weeks on the disabled list with a concussion. And Yangervis Solarte returned from a left oblique strain. He started at third base, but will see time around the infield.
Both players were in the starting lineup for Sunday's finale against the Pirates.
To clear room on the roster, righty reliever Kevin Quackenbush and outfielder Jabari Blash were optioned to Triple-A El Paso. 
Solarte, who spent the first three months at second base, strained his oblique in Chicago in late June. With the emergence of Carlos Asuaje at second, it's likely Solarte will move around the diamond.
"I'm always taking ground balls," Solarte said. "For me, you never know [where you'll be needed]. I try to do my best at every position. You never know. I just try to help the team and be ready."
Solarte hasn't played shortstop since 2014. He played nine innings there in a Triple-A rehab game on Friday night.
Padres manager Andy Green said Solarte could see time at shortstop later this week.
"The nice thing about Soly is he can play second a day, play short a day, play third a day," Green said. "[He can] stay in the lineup every single day, do what he does very well, which is be versatile and swing the bat."
As for Hedges, he sustained his concussion taking a Brandon Belt foul ball off his mask on July 14. He caught five innings in the Arizona Rookie League on Friday.
"It was frustrating," Hedges said. "Each day I was feeling a little bit better, but didn't know what that meant. I was just searching for what normal felt like again. It's felt like a lot longer than two weeks."
Since the injury, Hedges has made some adjustments to his mask, adding a bit more padding.
"There are some new masks, technologies that I'm looking into," Hedges said. "It's definitely not super comfortable, but it's going to keep me safer."
Green noted that the two off-days this week will give Hedges and Solarte ample time to re-acclimate themselves.